


The Deception

by ThefirstRanger



Category: Ranger's Apprentice - John Flanagan
Genre: Angst, Crowley and Pauline fake date in order to make Halt jealous, F/M, Fake Dating, Pining Crowley, Pining Halt, Ranger's Apprentice AU, Spoilers for The Tournament at Gorlan, The Early Years - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-11-05
Packaged: 2020-11-26 06:24:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20925626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThefirstRanger/pseuds/ThefirstRanger
Summary: In The Tournament at Gorlan, Crowley jokingly tells Halt that he's going to try and ask Pauline out and Halt calls his bluff. Now, Crowley and Pauline are fake dating in order to make Halt make a move on Pauline. It doesn't go quite like Crowley hopes.





	1. The Bluff

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy and feel free to leave kudos or comments!

As soon as he saw Halt and Pauline look at each other, Crowley knew they were meant for each other. Halt had what, Crowley could only assume, passed for a soft glance in his eyes. Lady Pauline had curved her mouth into an interested smile before steeling her features into a professional neutral stare. It was a business meeting after all, they weren’t here for pleasure. Throughout the meeting Crowley did his best to pay attention to Arald and the strategy for rescuing Duncan and beating Morgarath, but he could only focus on how Pauline and Halt focused on each other. Pauline gave a soft chuckle when Halt told everyone assembled how he had rudely rejected Morgarath’s job offer and Crowley knew he had no chance. He had always admired Pauline, how could he not, and had hoped that one day she might let him court her. Of course, he had never made a proper move to woo Pauline and now his best friend, his brother, had taken his chance. Pauline couldn’t have made a better choice thought Crowley, swallowing back his words. It was obvious that Halt and Pauline were meant for each other. 

As the meeting ended and the feast slowly winded down, Crowely managed to keep his emotions fairly in check. If he was just a tad slower to smile or come back with a retort, no one is able to tell. Pauline had to leave after the initial meeting, something Crowley is grateful for. He doesn’t know if he could stand a whole feast of looking at two people who were clearly meant for each other but not acting upon their feelings. Lady Sandra, the wise woman she is, leaned over to Crowley and started to whisper. 

“I think Halt and Pauline would make a lovely couple, don’t you think?” Crowley nodded in subdued agreement, suddenly feeling ill. He didn’t trust himself to talk. “Hopefully Halt asks her on a date. I don’t think Pauline would ask him out on a date unless she thought he was serious. She doesn’t want anything to get in the way of her job right now, bless her.”

At this moment, Crowley knew that the universe was testing him. From the short time he’s known Halt, Crowley can tell that Halt would not make a move on Pauline unless he was absolutely forced to even though he clearly loves Pauline. And if Pauline also won’t make a move, then nothing will happen between the two of them unless Crowley makes it happen. If Crowley didn’t do something, Pauline and Halt could wind up orbiting around each other for decades. Crowley has two options: he could mind his own business and hope that the couple would work itself out (he knew they wouldn’t) or he could ignore all of his instincts and push Pauline, who he loved, and Halt, who he loved like a brother, together. Really there’s no choice for Crowley. 

~

Crowley spends the night thinking and planning (and not getting any sleep, though he tells himself that’s due to the stress from Morgarath) and the next morning, he is ready to put his plan in action. It was going to be just him and Halt on the road tomorrow; all the other rangers had gone on ahead to the meeting spot.

As he and Halt ride away from Castle Redmont, Halt casually asks where Lady Pauline was and his face falls when Lady Sandra tells him that she had to head out late last night on an urgent mission. Crowley feels a pang in his heart, but he pushes it away. This is for Halt and Pauline he tells himself. 

Crowley and Halt had been riding for a little while when Crowley decides to speak. It’s a too casual inquiry, but Crowley thinks he manages to sell it. 

“Lady Pauline is quite the accomplished woman, eh Halt?” Halt didn’t turn around but Crowley swore he could see Halt move his head briefly. Halt gave a grunt that seemed like permission for Crowley to go on. Though he had wanted Halt to actually respond, Crowley pushed on with his plan. His voice sounds unnatural and forced, but he really has to sell this part. 

“I thought I might call upon her once this whole Morgarath debacle is over.” Did that sound like his normal confident self? Crowley thought he could risk a glance over at Halt who had not turned around. If Halt had turned around, Crowley would have seen the stricken look on his friend’s face. Halt was experiencing a lot of emotions running through his head. Soul-crushing disappointment at the thought of charming Crowley courting Lady Pauline warring with the realization that he should be happy for his best friend. Halt didn’t know what to do or say, so he chose to say nothing. There was nothing he could do if Crowley was going to try and court Pauline. Crowley was so good around ladies and Halt just messed up everything. 

Crowley was about to say something more to egg Halt on, the stubborn Hibernian refusing to admit his feelings, when the two men heard a fast set of hooves approaching behind them. Their horses whirled around and the two men drew their bows, nocking them at a terrified messenger boy. 

“Please don’t shoot me!” squeaked the boy. Crowley and Halt glanced at each other in silent communication. The bows were lowered but still ready to be drawn at half a moment’s notice. One couldn’t be too careful. As the bows lowered, the messenger boy relaxed. 

“Baron Arald sent me to bring you two back to Castle Redmont. He says that Lady Pauline has crucial information about Prince Duncan.” The two men whirled into action, spurring their horses on. As they went down the dusty road, Crowley cursed Arald’s bad timing. He was sure that Halt would’ve talked about his feelings for Pauline if they hadn’t been interrupted. Now Crowley would have to see Pauline right after he had just told Halt he wanted to court her. This was going to be a great meeting. 

The short ride back felt long due to the tense silence. Crowley couldn’t tell if the tension was from his declaration or the anticipation of rescuing Duncan, he suspected it was the former. Halt arrived at Castle Redmont first and as he clamored through the gate ahead of Crowley, he called over his shoulder. 

“Now you have your chance with Pauline.” Halt tried not to grimace as he said those words. He truly would be happy if Crowley courted Pauline, it would just take some time he told himself. 

When Crowley heard these words, he cursed Halt’s stubbornness and selflessness. Halt was now clearly expecting Crowley to court Pauline and had either given up (Crowley was not going to let him do that) or Halt was still in denial of his feelings. Either way, Crowley was in a bind. 

~

Lady Pauline sweeps into the meeting and Crowley pours all his emotions out into charm. Pauline isn’t unreceptive to his charm, but doesn’t encourage it. This doesn’t go unnoticed, Lady Sandra and Baron Arald glance at each other. They didn’t expect Crowley and Pauline to get together. Pauline is only a little confused by Crowley’s increased attention- he’s not the first man who has tried to woo her- and she redirects everyone’s attention back to the meeting. 

After the meeting, Pauline takes Crowley aside and asks if she can speak with him in private, intending to gently rebuff his advances. It’s not that she doesn’t like Crowley, she does, but she can’t date someone when she really likes another. This action raises more inquisitive glances between Arald and Sandra and Halt takes this as confirmation that Pauline has accepted Crowley’s wooing. He’s supposed to go to a small dinner with Sandra and Arald in their kitchen and Halt briefly wonders if he would get kicked out of the rangers corps for getting himself blackout drunk. It’s a tempting option. 

Pauline takes Crowley to a private room, fully intending to reject him; but then Crowley starts talking. It’s more of a nervous ramble than anything.

“I’m so sorry Pauline, but Halt forced my hand. Halt really likes you, but he won’t admit his feelings for you. I said I was going to court you in an attempt to get him to confess that he liked you and ask you out and he called my bluff. And-” 

Pauline sharply cut him off. “Crowley! Slow down. What are you talking about?” 

Crowley took a deep breath. Pauline was going to be mad at him, but she needed an explanation. “Halt won’t admit that he really likes you unless he is forced to because he is a stubborn, crazy Hibernian and so I was trying to tease him in an effort to get him to admit his feelings and he called my bluff. Now he thinks I’m going to date you.” Pauline looked taken aback and Crowley didn’t blame her. He was rambling and it was a weird situation. 

Shaking her head, Pauline asked “So Halt thinks we’re dating?” Her voice had the slightest tremble and Crowley had never hated himself more. He had to fix this for both Pauline and Halt. 

“Well, yes, but you could always reject my wooing. It’s happened loads of times before.” Crowley had only ever kissed two women and one of them was his mother. Pauline ignored Crowley, turning around so her face was obscured. 

“Are you proposing that you pretend to court me in order to make Halt jealous enough to ask me on a date?” Pauline was a smart woman and she cut to the chase. Crowley bit back a wince when he heard those words. It sounded much worse when spoken out loud. 

“Yes?” was the hesitant answer. “But if you don’t want to, I am not forcing you to do this. I respect your decision, whatever it will be.” At this, Pauline turned back around. Crowley truly was a good man and he was doing this not for himself but for his friends. Normally, Pauline would never be a part of such a foolish plan but there was something about Halt that made her flustered in the best way and she took a chance. 

“Let’s do it.” Crowley looked stunned and Pauline felt the same. She never thought that she would be trying to make someone jealous by dating their best friend, but here she was. 

Crowley still looked a little stunned so Pauline kept talking. 

“When should we start? It should look organic and not like it was planned. Also, we need to set boundaries of what we’re comfortable with while fake dating and how we should eventually break up.” Pauline’s gift for planning and her determination to map everything out was one of the things Crowley loved about her. Those qualities balanced out his spontaneity, but Crowley also realized that those qualities were an even better fit with Halt’s personality and his deviations from plans. 

The two talked and discussed the plan for some time, hashing out all the things that needed to be figured out. They decided that the next time they saw each other was when they would start “dating”. Crowley would act all flirty and Pauline would be receptive to his charm, but nothing more than that. They didn’t want to hurt Halt, that wasn’t the goal. The goal was to make Halt make a move. 

~

When they leave their private meeting, Pauline and Crowley go their separate ways. Pauline heads off to her bedroom to do some paperwork while Crowley tries to find Halt. He finds Halt leaning on a dining hall bench, drunk as a king. Arald was hovering over him. Arald frowned at Crowley when he walked in. 

“It’s about time you showed up. Where have you been? Your Hibernian friend is close to passing out.” Crowley felt a pang of guilt flash through him. There was no reason for Halt to drink so much unless he was feeling super torn up about Crowley and Pauline. Or he was stressed about fighting Morgarath. Crowley was fairly sure it was the former. 

He waved Arald off. This didn’t concern him and the less people involved with this deception, the better. 

“Go to bed Arald. I’ll take care of Halt tonight. Thank you though.”

Arald started to rise up, but then sat down, folding his hands together. He let out a sigh. “Crowley, I don't know what you're trying to do, but be careful. These types of things are not to be messed with." 

Crowley tried to play dumb. "We can beat Morgarath, Arald. We have to." 

Arald stood up and for a brief moment, Crowley could see something sharper under his friendly if serious face. It was clear to Crowley why Arald had been crowned champion last year in the dueling tournament. The amicable baron was made of stronger stuff than he let anyone see and now it was coming out. Arald's eyes narrowed. Crowley was playing with him and had it been any other time, Arald would have gone along with the joke. But this concerned Pauline and Arald was not about to see his friend get hurt if he could help it. 

“You know what I’m talking about Crowley. There’s something going on between you and Pauline and I don’t want to see anyone hurt because of a rash decision made.” Clearly Arald had been paying more attention than Crowley had thought. 

“There’s nothing going on between Pauline and me,” protested Crowley. He had to make this sound good. “She just wanted to talk communication logistics with me since I’m the Commandant.” 

Arald hmmphed. That definitely sounded fake, Pauline would have talked to Sandra and him and debriefed them before she approached Crowley, but he would let it slide for now. Sandra needed to be updated on this turn of events and Arald was bone tired. The situation with Morgarath was taking all of his attention now and he couldn’t focus on less important things. 

“Whatever you’re doing, be careful, the both of you. Good night.” At these parting words, Arald slapped Crowley on the back and left to go to his room, leaving Crowley alone with his thoughts and Halt. 

Halt let out a moan and Crowley looked down at him. He considered telling Halt everything at that moment- that it was all fake, that Pauline liked Halt- but he didn’t. Whether it was his desire to get Halt and Pauline together or a smaller darker part deep in his heart that he didn’t like to acknowledge, Crowley couldn’t say. If he was being honest with himself, it was mostly the desire to see Halt and Pauline together, however much it hurt him. 

Crowley cracked a crooked smile that looked too natural and picked Halt by his arms. “Let’s get you into the room buddy. You’ve had a lot to drink.” That sounded like his normal self, right? Some light-hearted teasing and a blunt statement of facts. 

Halt wobbled and for a second, looked like he was about to fall down. Luckily, he gained his balance and settled into Crowley’s grip. He was slurring his words. 

“N-not as much as you would think,” hiccuped Halt. “I can’t hold my liquor, y’know?” 

Crowley looked at the amount of cups surrounding Halt and, yes, Halt was right. There was a lot less cups littered on the ground than there would be for an average man. It seemed like Halt was indeed a lightweight. Something to note for the future. Crowley elected to ignore Halt in favor of getting him up the staircase and into their room. 

As soon as Halt fell onto the bed, he went to sleep and started to snore. Crowley envied him. If only he could forget about his troubles when he slept. Morgarath and visions of Oswald and Duncan dying haunted his dreams and now he was sure that Halt getting drunk over Crowley and Pauline would be added to those ghastly dreams. 

“This plan is worth it for Halt and Pauline.” he muttered, running his hands through his mess of red hair. 

Crowley was tearing off his cloak and putting it over by the fire when he heard Halt mumbled through his stupor, “What is worth it?” 

Halt apparently had not been in as deep as sleep as Crowley had thought. Crowley stilled and did not answer. After a few moments, Halt fell silent as well and the snoring continued. Crowley snuck over to his bed and practically collapsed on it. It was going to be a rough night.


	2. A gathering of Rangers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crowley and Halt meet up with the other renegade rangers and are starting to feel the pressure of the mission and the deception. They start to talk it out but...

The next morning was not what Crowley was expecting. If he had thought that Halt would have brought up last night, he was wrong. Halt did not say a word until he got his cup of coffee and that wasn't that unusual for Halt. Granted, there was a chance that Halt had blacked out and did not remember anything from last night. Crowley kind of hoped that this was the case. The way Halt avoided him disproved this theory. 

They rode off on their horses before the rest of the castle had woken up, something for which Crowley was glad for. He didn't think he could look Arald in the face. The lack of sleep and the shame Crowley felt had practically destroyed his poker face.

Halt and Crowley didn't exchange more than five words before they got on the road. It was terribly awkward, but they made it work. The tension between them dissipated once they met up with the other rangers. The situation was too dangerous to have tension dividing the rangers and Crowley and Halt knew it. They could put aside and compartmentalize and personal matters until the mission was done. Plus, both of the young men had bigger 

All things considered, Crowley thought he and Halt hid everything pretty well throughout the evening, though he was pretty sure Pritchard had picked up on the tension between his two apprentices. Pritchard had taken Halt to the side after evening dinner and the two had talked for an hour. 

As Pritchard was talking to Halt, Crowley was staring morosely into the fire when Leander and Farrel plopped down beside him. Norris was close behind them.

“What’s got you down, o fearless leader?” chuckled Farrel, polishing his battleaxe. He didn't mean it to be threatening, but it sure seemed that way to Crowley. Crowley tried to push that thought away. 

"There's nothing besides the fact that we're facing Morgarath in two days." Crowley retorted. As one of the youngest of the rangers and the newly elected Commandant, he had to keep up with the more experienced rangers in both skill and wit. Farrel just gave a chuckle and Leander gave Crowley a side look like he knew something was wrong. Knowing Leander, he probably did. 

"We'll beat Morgarath, don't worry about it Red." Farrel sounded flippant, but the undercurrent of anger in his tone made it clear that one way or another, Morgarath would have to deal with his actions and their deadly consequences. Leander turned toward Farrel who, Crowley had noticed, was sharpening his axe blade even more viciously than before. 

"Don't get cocky Farrel." warned Leander. In response, Farrel stopped sharpening his axe and in a blur of motion, threw it in the air. The silver blade shone in the firelight before thudding into a tree across the clearing. Even from across the way, it was obvious that the blade had sunk deep into the tree and with precision. Farrel gave a grim smile that almost looked feral. 

He strode across the clearing, everyone looking at him. When he got back to the fire, he simply said "Morgarath will regret the day he messed with the rangers." and turned on his heel back to his tent. 

Leander gave a long suffering sigh while all Crowley could do was stare. The fire crackled for a bit before Leander spoke to Crowley. Every other ranger had followed Farrel’s example and gone back to their tents. They were alone, at least so it seemed. One could never tell with rangers around. 

"What did you do to mess with Halt in that way?" No one could say that Leander didn't beat around the bush. Crowley couldn't lie to the older man, but there was no chance that Leander would understand the situation Crowley was in. He decided to give a selective truth. 

"I don't know what's bothering Halt," Technically true. "I didn't do anything." At least, not yet thought Crowley miserably. 

Leander gave another grunt. He knew the younger ranger was lying. "Does it have anything to do with Pritchard taking Halt away to talk privately?"

Crowley didn't have a good answer for that. 

"Nevermind boy. You're going to tell me that you have no idea or some other bull like that. Pritchard loves you and Halt like sons. He bragged about you all the time. If the three of you aren’t talking up a storm together, there’s something wrong.” One didn’t become a ranger without having incredible observation skills and those skills were handy, but Crowley wished the older rangers wouldn’t use their skills to figure out what Crowley was hiding. Leander continued on. 

“In the short time that I’ve known you and Halt, you two boys seem remarkably close. Like brothers almost. Now, in my experience, and trust me on this,” He leaned back a little bit, shifting closer to Crowley. The fire illuminated half of his face. “There’s one thing that divides brothers faster than a greased pig can run; a woman.” 

Crowley cursed Leander and his intuitiveness. In the firelight, Crowley was tempted to spill everything to the older ranger. It had been one day and already Crowley was tired of the deception. He hated lying and hurting Halt. Maybe he was in over his head. He opened his mouth to speak. 

“You’re-”

At the same moment, Halt and Pritchard came out of the woods and back into the clearing. Pritchard had a comforting hand on Halt’s back and Halt looked like his normal self. There was no chance Crowley was going to tell Leander now. He clamped his mouth shut. Leander shifted back dissatisfied. Pritchard smiled warmly at Crowley and despite everything, Crowley felt better. 

“I have to head off now to Gorlan,” All three men nodded. Pritchard had to be at Gorlan earlier than the rest of them for his part in King Oswald’s rescue. Crowley was sad to see him leave so soon though. “I wish I could stay longer, but duty calls.” 

Leander got up to clap Pritchard on the back and Crowley followed suit. Halt hung back until the other two men were done and then hugged Pritchard himself. Pritchard really was the best of them and Crowley hated to see him go. It should’ve been Pritchard who was elected Commandant, not himself who didn’t know what he was doing and hurt his best friend. Almost like he was reading Crowley’s mind, Pritchard pulled his former in apprentice in for another hug. In Crowley’s ear, he whispered some praise. 

“You are going to make a great Commandant. Trust your instincts and trust your training.” He released Crowley and smiled, the laugh lines on his face evident. Leander affectionately waved Pritchard goodbye and Pritchard rode off on River into the dark night. If it had been anyone else riding into the woods at night, the rangers would have stopped them. But it was Pritchard and Pritchard was the best of them all. 

Leander yawned and stretched his arms. “I’m going to patrol around for a bit. You two boys get some sleep.” Halt and Crowley looked at each other. It had been a long day and they were both tired. Leander’s offer was generous, but Crowley suspected that he just wanted to get them in a good mood so they would tell him what was wrong. Crowley didn’t care what Leander’s motive was as long as he got some sleep this very instant. 

In the tent Halt seemed like he was going to say something, but changed his mind. Crowley decided to play dumb a little. He found he was doing that a lot lately.

“How was your talk with Pritchard?” There was a quick spasm on Halt’s face but it disappeared as soon as it appeared. Halt’s talk with Pritchard had gone fairly well, they had talked about how Halt was adjusting to Araluen and towards the end, talked about how Halt was feeling towards Pauline. Pritchard was an intuitive man and he could tell that Halt (and Crowley) was struggling with something. Halt hated talking about his feelings, he’d rather eat some poisoned shrimp again, but Pritchard had a way of making Halt feel comfortable. By the end, Pritchard had told Halt that if he really was this torn up about Pauline and Crowley, he needed to talk to Crowley about it. “The rangers have already been split. We can’t afford for internal affairs to divide us even further.” Pritchard was right and Halt knew it. He had made Halt feel slightly better about the situation, but there was no way Halt was going to tell Crowley any of that. 

“It was good.” Crowley waited for Halt to elaborate more, but no words came. After a minute, Halt seemed to gather his thoughts and continued on. “He asked how I liked Araluen and if I missed home.” This was some of the only information Halt had ever given Crowley about his life and it shocked and saddened him. 

“Do you miss home? Droghela, right?” Halt imperceptibly tightened his eyes. He hadn’t told Crowley the truth about where he was from and why he had left Dun Kilty. He hated lying to Crowley but he feared that if Crowley knew the truth, he would treat Halt differently or somehow Ferris would find out that Halt was alive. He couldn’t let that happen. So Halt kept lying to his friend. 

“Yeah, Droghela. I miss the landscape and not much else. My sister mostly.” Crowley noticed that there was a slight hesitation before Halt said Droghela and Halt’s accent had gotten less pronounced as he was talking. Halt hadn’t meant to make his Hibernian accent less pronounced, it just always happened when Halt was talking about Hibernia. Crowley also noticed that Halt had finally mentioned a family member. He was honored that Halt trusted him enough to tell him one thing at his personal life, something which Halt held close to his chest. Crowley had heard the fake version of Halt Arratay’s life that Morgarath had been told, but never Halt O’Carrick’s life. 

“Does she know where you are?” asked Crowley tentatively. He sensed that there was something else Halt wasn’t telling him but he didn’t want to pry. 

Halt shifted uncomfortably, shrugging off his cloak. “She doesn’t actually. I left in a hurry, but if I know her, she’s still looking for me and not taking people’s words at face value.” An interesting way to phrase things thought Crowley. “I plan on letting her know at least that I’m alive.” That was true. Halt wanted to wait until things died down in Clonmel and in Araluen with Morgarath before taking a quick trip to his home. Caitlyn needed to know he was alive, if not in person then through note, and she could be counted on to keep it a secret from Ferris. 

Crowley nodded though Halt could not see him in the dark tent. He could understand being distant from family members. Being a fabled ranger, especially during the time of Morgarath’s rangers, meant that people, even family members, suddenly became scared of Crowley. There were a few cousins that had conveniently stopped sending Crowley letters once they heard that he was a ranger’s apprentice. People thought that rangers used magic to achieve everything which Crowley found ridiculous, but Pritchard had used those expectations to his advantage more than once. 

Getting uncomfortable with the way this conversation was going, Halt cleared his throat and pretended to go to sleep. He laid on his back and evened out his breathing, eventually letting out a few snores for good measure. Crowley just sat in silence, unconvinced. After a long time, Crowley laid down next to Halt on his bedroll and went to sleep. Halt didn’t try to wake Crowley, instead electing to lay there with his thoughts. 

Halt was torn up about Crowley and Pauline. Even after two meetings, Halt was sure he loved Pauline, well maybe loved wasn’t the right word. Halt was greatly interested in Lady Pauline. She was graceful, competent, and anyone who would risk their life to help beat Morgarath was okay in Halt’s eyes. He wanted her to be happy and if she wanted to be with Crowley, then that was her decision. He hadn’t made his intentions clear and apparently Crowley had. Crowley was a good man who would make Pauline happy. It wasn’t much comfort to Halt, but it was some. It didn’t soothe his hurting heart all the way. Halt was fine though. He could push emotions and things down like a champ; it was how he dealt with Ferris for so long. This is fine, he thought to himself.

Maybe that was why he was impacted so much by Crowley courting Pauline. Crowley was like a brother to him and Halt hadn’t had good experiences with brothers before. Halt sneered at himself. That wasn’t it and you know it O’Carrick, he thought. To put it plainly, he was jealous, he realized. 

Halt hated himself for being jealous. Neither Pauline or Crowley deserved that and Halt felt like a bad friend for even thinking about it. He couldn’t take much more of his thoughts so he rolled over on his blanket, closed his eyes, and did his best to banish any thoughts of Crowley and Pauline from his dreams. It didn’t work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up is the tournament!


	3. The Tournament

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tournament at Gorlan begins! Tensions start to rise! Pauline gets tired of waiting and takes matters into her own hands. Crowley and Halt deal with the repercussions.

A few days later, the rangers were at the tournament, preparing for the encounter with Morgarath. Halt had successfully rescued Duncan and the duo had joined up with the renegade rangers to meet in Baron Arald in his tent in the morning. Next to Halt, Duncan was walking around unnoticed with a helmet covering his face. No one paid him a second look. Knights at tournaments were a dime a dozen and common unmarked knights were a sign of a common man trying to prove his worth, not someone to pay attention to like a baron. 

As Halt and the disguised Duncan approached Arald’s tent, Crowley met up with them. His hood was drawn over his bright red hair; better to be safe than sorry with Morgarath around. The three men exchanged somber nods with each other. To anyone from a distance, it would have been an unremarkable sight, but Duncan could see how Halt carefully refused to meet Crowley’s eyes and how Crowley had stiffened before nodding at Halt. 

The tension between the two friends came from the day before when Crowley discovered a letter Pauline had slipped in his saddle. Crowley had been saddling up Cropper next to Halt and Abelard when a letter fluttered down to the ground. The neat cursive on the front and the clandestine nature of the letter had clued the young men into the fact that the letter was from Pauline. 

It seemed that Pauline had taken matters into her own hands without telling Crowley. The letter had tactfully and tastefully told Crowley that she greatly enjoyed meeting him (and Halt of course) and that she hoped to see him again soon. As Crowley read the letter, warring emotions stormed inside of him. He liked reading Pauline’s words, but he knew they were only a show. Desire and guilt raged through him. Halt saw the letter drop to the ground and Halt’s face dropped with it. 

Halt hadn’t read the letter of course. He wanted to desperately as soon as he saw Pauline’s name on the outside. There was a brief, horrible moment where Crowley hadn’t seen the letter and Halt’s only thought was that he could grab the letter before Crowley saw it and use his stamp forging kit to open and read the letter without Crowley knowing. Immediately after Halt thought this, he felt ashamed. How could he think of doing such a thing to his best friend? This was why Halt was avoiding meeting Crowley’s eyes. 

As the trio walked somewhat uncomfortably into Arald’s tent, they were surprised to see Pauline standing next to Arald, clad in her courier uniform. Crowley let out a small sharp breathe and Halt stiffened considerably. Duncan shot them a confused look. Neither of the rangers had expected Pauline to be at the tournament; they had thought she would be out gathering intelligence. 

Pauline smiled at the men, taking care to smile brightly at both Halt and Crowley. “Ah, so glad you could join us Halt, Crowley" She bowed slightly to Duncan. "Your majesty."

At this, Crowley straightened up imperceptibly and turned on his charm. Duncan gave a chuckle. 

"I don't see a prince here Mistress Pauline. I'm only Bradley the humble knight who wants to prove my mettle in the tournament." 

Pauline winked at him. "Of course." Pauline turned to face Crowley, but he was already there, bending down to kiss her hand. 

"Oh!" came the pleasantly surprised response. Halt managed to hide his shock. Clearly things between Crowley and Pauline had escalated in the previous few days. He should’ve taken the letter, Halt thought. 

When Crowley brings his head up, he sees Pauline blushing. He hadn’t told her that he was going to kiss her hand and he hoped that she could see that he was begging for forgiveness with his eyes. Pauline smiled at Crowley to let him know what he did was fine. Maybe Halt would follow Crowley’s suit and kiss her hand. She hoped so.

Crowley straightened up and took a step backwards, ending up next to Duncan and Halt. Halt looked a little ill and Duncan looked too self-satisfied for someone who had just been rescued from a tower and whose throne was in danger. 

Arald had been watching the whole exchange and decided that he couldn’t watch anymore of this awkwardness. 

“Shall we discuss what our next step is?” asked Arald, clapping his hands together. If he was going to be the only one with their wits about them, so be it. Crowley and Halt exchanged quick glances at each other and shrugged. Pauline looked slightly embarrassed as she knew she should have been more professional, but she was excited to see Halt again and seeing him always rattled her. 

“Sorry Baron, your Majesty, Halt, Crowley. Let’s get down to business.” Pauline settled into her role as did Halt and Crowley. Duncan settled down into a chair Sandra had set up. It took an hour to brief everyone on the plan and what their roles would be. Crowley and Halt were in charge of rescuing King Oswald while Duncan was fighting in the melee tournament. Arald would continue to do his duties as the returning champion and Pauline would act as head of communications between everyone. 

As Halt and Crowley were walking out of the tent after discussing the plan, Pauline got up with them to say goodbye. The rangers bowed to her while Pauline stepped up to the pair and unexpectedly kissed Halt's hand. If he wasn’t going to make a move, she was going to make a small one.

Halt's eyes shot wide open and he had a stunned look on his face. Beneath his beard, he was blushing bright red. Crowley was pretty sure the same expression was mirrored on his own face. Pauline was blushing as she took a step back. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Crowley could see Arald, Sandra, and Duncan exchange meaningful looks. He was definitely going to hear about this from them later, Crowley thought. 

A second later, Pauline kissed Crowley on the cheek and Halt froze in place.

"Good luck to the both of you." Crowley gulped a little. He talked a big game but this was still only the second kiss he had ever received. And it was on the cheek. He looked to his left. Halt still wasn't moving. 

"Thank you Pauline. I'll treasure your kind words" Hopefully that sounded realistic. It definitely didn't thought Crowley. Arald and Sandra were whispering in the back. Duncan had his eyes narrowed like he was seeing something he didn’t like. 

The tent grew heavy with tension as Halt managed to squeak out through gritted teeth something that sounded like thank you but no one was really sure. Sandra glanced sympathetically at Halt. She would’ve beckoned the flustered ranger over to her to give him some advice, but Sandra knew that Halt would have been embarrassed. It was puzzling why Pauline had allowed Crowley to court her when she so clearly fancied Halt. 

Halt may have froze when Pauline kissed Crowley's cheek, but his mind was racing a thousand miles per minute. The letter Crowley received must have spurned the courtship on. He knew he should have taken the letter when he had a chance. 

Halt also knew that he should be happy for his friends, but it was tearing him up inside. He knew he loved Pauline, but she had made her choice and he needed to respect it. Still, it seemed that she had smiled warmly at him. Maybe she felt something for him? No, he thought. That was ridiculous. Pauline is dating Crowley and you should be happy for them. They look like they are enjoying each other’s company. So why did he feel so miserable?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the meeting, Crowley and Halt are both approached by people who just want to talk about the Crowley-Pauline situation.

After the meeting, Halt and Crowley peeled off away from their friends and went off to the forest just outside of the tournament where the rangers had agreed to meet up. Crowley started to separate from Halt, but Halt casually commented “You and Pauline seem close.” Crowley had to hide a wince. Of course Halt wasn’t going to let that kiss drop. And he brought it up at such an inopportune time. At least Crowley’s plan was working and Halt was getting jealous. Maybe Halt would try to make a move on Pauline now? Alas, Crowley had no such luck.

“Yes, it would seem that way.” remarked Crowley, just as casually. He could play the game just as well as Halt could. 

Halt seemed to grimace ever so slightly, but made his face fall back into it’s normal impassive features. “That’s good. You two deserve the best together.” It shouldn’t have hurt Halt as much as it did to say those words. Both of them were his friends, he should be happy for them. They’d certainly have an attractive family thought Halt sourly. 

Crowley didn’t know how to respond to that without spilling the secret so he separated from Halt and slipped through the crowds. Halt took the hint and melted into the crowd. Crowley’s mind was in turmoil and not just from the impending action against Morgarath. 

The situation with Pauline was getting harder and harder with every second it continued and Crowley wasn’t sure how much more pretending he could do. It had been his idea, but he hadn’t expected Pauline to actually run with it. Now that it was happening, Crowley felt torn up about the whole thing. On one hand, he's dating his best friend's crush. On the other hand, it's to force Halt to make a move on Pauline. So in that regard, it's complicated but at least it's got good intentions. 

Then there was the deep part of Crowley's heart and mind that was enjoying this deception. He hated those parts of himself, but they existed. It was nice to court Pauline or pretend to court Pauline, but Crowley knew it was wrong to. It was a pleasant charade and it was only that. A charade.

A rough hand grabbing his arm shook Crowley out of his thoughts and he immediately whirled around, saxe knife at the ready. 

“Whoa there Crowley! It’s me, Arald.” Crowley let out a sigh of relief and berated himself at the same time. Even though it was a crowded tournament, Arald never should have been able to sneak up on him. Without a word, Crowley lowered his knife and pulled Arald to a covered alley. They shouldn’t be seen together in public. What was Arald thinking? Arald seemed to read Crowley’s mind and began to explain himself. 

“There’s something up with you and Pauline,” Crowle opened his mouth to protest, but Arald shook his head fiercely. “Don’t try to deny it. Anyone with eyes can see it. What is happening?” 

Of course Arald was concerned about that, not his upcoming duel or the Morgarath crisis. Crowley threw up his hands in apparent defeat. He needed to play conversation out so Arald would leave the situation alone. Halt was so close to asking out Pauline, Crowley could feel it. He just needed to keep Arald from ruining everything. “Fine, you got me. I’m courting Pauline against the wishes of Halt.”

Arald simply stared into Crowley’s eyes, searching for the truth. He couldn’t see a lie, but he knew Crowley wasn’t telling the whole truth. There was something deeper going on. “Crowley, if you think courting Pauline is going to, I don’t know, help Halt out or make him jealous, you need to stop. Leave things up to fate.” 

Crowley wanted to scream from the rooftops. Of course Arald would say that. He didn’t know Halt as well as Crowley did. But maybe Arald had a point. Regardless, Crowley was in too deep to stop now. He turned away from Arald and as he melted into the crowd, Arald could hear his faint reply. 

“It’s for the greater good.” 

While Crowley was debating with himself, Halt was also having an internal crisis. Or, more accurately, he would have been having an internal crisis if he had allowed himself to think about anything except beating Morgarath at this time. He would have broken down if he allowed himself to think about how Crowley was dodging his questions about Pauline and how Pauline’s eyes seemed to linger on him during the debriefing. Morgarath was the priority, not Pauline or Crowley or romance. 

It was at that moment that Halt became aware that he was being followed by Duncan in his knight disguise. Duncan wasn’t supposed to be out and about for another hour. Halt veered off the path and Duncan followed. 

As soon as Duncan was out of public sight, Halt hissed at him. 

“What are you doing? Stay in the tent until it’s time for the melee fight.” Normally Halt would have never been so outwardly irritated with royalty (except for his brother, he and Ferris had fought all of the time) but Halt was so stressed he ignored all common sense. 

Duncan stiffened, slightly affronted. Halt had just saved him and he had a great amount of respect for Halt, but he was still the prince of Araluen. He wasn’t used to people scolding him. Duncan shook all of that off, he was there to talk to a friend.

“I came to talk to you Halt. It seems like you need someone to talk to about…” Here Duncan trailed off. Halt was glaring at him, anger blazing in his eyes. How could Duncan even think of approaching him to try and talk about his feelings? Halt ignored his feelings until he couldn’t any more. The anger quickly faded and Halt deflated. Duncan was only trying to help and Halt was desperate enough to take it.

The lost prince of Clonmel slumped down and the prince of Araluen sat beside him. 

“It’s hard seeing them together,” Halt admitted. “It shouldn’t be, but it is.”

Duncan was already shaking his head. “It’s hard for a reason: you love Pauline. I’ve known Pauline my entire life, she seems interested in you- not Crowley.” Halt’s heart was lifted when he heard these words.

“But she shouldn’t be.” 

“Stop saying that, Halt. If you want a relationship with Pauline, take it slow and wait. Let her know you are interested but be respectful. I think you might be surprised.” Halt jolted up, ready to ask Duncan what he meant, but Duncan was already walking away into the crowd. 

The rest of the day went according to plan. Pritchard, Halt, and Crowley rescued King Oswald from his prison tower. While they were changing their clothes for the servant’s clothes, Pritchard started to address his former apprentices. 

“Whatever happens today, you two have done a great service to Araluen. You brought back hope and I am immensely proud of the both of you.” 

Crowley felt his heart get warm in a way that hadn’t happened since Pritchard’s exile and Pauline and Crowley’s deception. He knew Pritchard was referring to the fight with Morgarath, but Crowley took heart that whatever happened with Halt and Pauline, Pritchard would still be there for him. 

Pritchard’s words also affected Halt. It had only been a few months since he had left Hibernia and it had been even longer since someone had said they were proud of Halt. Pritchard had been encouraging during training, but the limited time had made it hard for any extra talking beyond the necessary instruction. Pritchard was like a father figure to Halt and he knew that Pritchard loved him like a son. 

Crowley and Halt were left alone after Pritchard left to store his cloak away. The air between the two men was heavy with anticipation for the upcoming rescue and with tension. Things needed to be squared away if this mission was going to succeed. Neither of the men would deliberately let their feelings get in the way of the mission, but the best plans always went wrong. It was better to prevent disruptions ahead of time. Crowley started to speak at the same time Halt did. 

“I haven’t-” “Halt, I nee-” Both rangers let out a rusty chuckle. It had been a long time since they had laughed. 

“Crowley, I just want to wish you and Pauline the best.” That hurt Crowley to his core. He had to start making Halt think he had a chance with Pauline. Crowley dodged Halt’s statement. 

“You know, Pauline really admires you Halt.” Halt looked surprised at this. He recalled using very crude language in front of the courier and generally being tongue tied in her presence. Compared to the smooth, experienced Crowley, Halt was just a bumbling tagalong. Crowley pressed on. 

“No really. She talked about you in her letter.” Crowley wasn’t lying. Pauline had written a lengthy paragraph about how Halt had impressed her amidst the rest of her letter which had been cordial and completely friendly. Crowley had wished it had been him she was talking about, but regardless, he enjoyed hearing from Pauline. 

Halt looked elated at this news even though it gave him some guilt. Pauline was talking about him and not Crowley, the man who was courting her. He was about to speak when Pritchard came back in. 

“Ready to go boys?” Crowley and Halt nodded. It was time to get back King Oswald. 

As the rescue happened, Farrel and Duncan were obliterating Morgarath’s flunkies in the battle melee, with both men using their (justifiable) frustrations to strike a blow to Morgarath. In retaliation, Morgarath challenged Baron Arald to a joust where he attempted to kill Arald with an illegal lance head. When Duncan prevented Arald’s death and Oswald, supported by Halt and Crowley, accused Morgarath of treason, Morgarath raged. The rangers would pay for this defeat.

As Morgarath and his soldiers retreated, Halt aimed an arrow at the villainous baron’s back. Crowley didn’t make a move to stop him. Duncan started to thrust his arm out to block Halt (not that it would’ve made a difference), but Pauline stopped him. She was going to do her job and if Morgarath was dead, there would be no justice and no trial. 

Pauline reached out her hand and touched Halt’s arm. “If you shoot Morgarath, we can’t put an end to this once and for all.” If it was anyone else, Halt would’ve argued with them or even shot his arrow regardless, but it was Pauline. He couldn’t disappoint her and what she said made sense, even if Halt wanted to end Morgarath once and for all in a different way. 

His bow was put away and Morgarath left for his castle. It was an action that would come back to haunt them greatly.


	5. Aftermath

Things settled down in the month after the tournament. The ranger’s corps had been reinstated with Crowley as the Commandant. Halt was helping Crowley with some of his duties, mainly travelling around the kingdom recruiting new apprentices. One day Halt hoped to have his own apprentice so he could help them like Pritchard had helped him. 

Crowley and Pauline had kept in touch as Crowley traveled and so had Pauline and Halt. Pauline had approached Halt after Morgarath had left the tournament and correspondence had been struck up. Halt always seemed to receive more frequent and longer letters than Crowley did from Pauline. He wasn’t sure what to think about this fact. Crowley had no qualms about Halt writing to Pauline and was enthusiastic about the prospect. This relieved Halt’s guilt a little bit, enough to keep him writing to Pauline. He found it odd though. 

At the moment, Crowley and Halt were staying next to Castle Gorlan in the ranger’s cabin. Morgarath was about to be brought to trial and Duncan wanted as much manpower surrounding him as possible. Baron Arald was there as well with some of his staff. It was nice to see Arald and it would have been nice to see Pauline if she wasn’t away on a short trip delivering a message to a nearby fief. They had also gotten to see Pritchard who was letting them stay with him in the cabin. Officially, Pritchard was going to stay on as a ranger for a couple more years, but he was prepping Halt to take over the role as the ranger of the Redmont. Pritchard still had to do his daily rounds even when he wasn’t at Redmont, something Halt and Crowley never let him forget. 

It would have been an uneventful yet pleasant trip if not for one of these nightly patrols. Halt was woken up by the thrumming of the rain and when he couldn’t go back to sleep, he decided to wake Crowley up as well. There was only an hour left until dawn, the missed sleep wouldn’t matter that much. As Crowley sat blearily up, he noticed that Pritchard wasn’t back yet. It wasn’t something to be worried about, but Pritchard had been back by dawn all the other days. 

Halt and Crowley crept outside and saw no movement on the walls. The two men looked at each other and grimly nodded. A quick climb up the wall confirmed their suspicions. The sentries were dead. Arald met them inside Castle Gorlan, practically vibrating with rage and carrying a whining servant by the scruff of his neck. Morgarath had escaped and they had just found out about it.

“The tunnels. Now!” yelled Arald as they raced down the stairs. 

The tunnels were still open and lit as Crowley, Halt, and Arald ran through, bursting out of the exit into a clearing. The footprints lead everywhere and were three or four days old if Crowley had to wager a guess. Halt spun furiously around on his heel, searching for any sign of Morgarath and his troops. 

Instead, his eyes landed on a mottled cloak that was camouflaged by a nearby bush. There lay Pritchard, eyes closed for one last time. Morgarath and his men must have surprised and overpowered Pritchard when they escaped. Halt let out a strangled yelp and alerted everyone. 

Crowley dropped to his knees as Halt stood over Pritchard’s body. Tears were flowing down both of their faces with no attempt to hide them. They had just gotten Pritchard back; everything had been going well. Pritchard had been like a father to Halt and Crowley. 

Crowley was vaguely aware of Arald talking to someone in the background, but he couldn’t hear anything. He was numb. Halt’s mouth was moving and Crowley didn’t hear anything. Halt extended a shaking hand to pull Crowley up and Crowley grasped his friend’s hand, all tension between them gone. 

Halt looked at Crowley, dark and foreboding. It was the type of stare that was a promise. Right then and there, Crowley knew that Morgarath was going to pay.


	6. The End (or is it a beginning?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been months since Morgarath escaped and Crowley decides that it's time to end the deception once and for all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has all the good stuff- Halt and Pauline, angst, and pining.

Pauline meets them as they come to the front of Castle Gorlan. Halt didn’t know how long they had stood in the clearing, long enough for Pauline to come back and hear the news. 

As they approached, Pauline rushed up and swept Halt into a hug, ignoring Crowley. Halt was too overwhelmed with everything to feel any guilt about the hug and he leaned into it. Pauline and Halt embraced for a long time, only pulling apart when Crowley coughed. It was like they had forgotten he was there. Pauline puts an arm around Crowley and pulls him close. She beckons Halt to come close as well. Normally Halt would avoid hugging as if his life depended on it, but today was different. The trio stood there, arms around each other, crying. There was no jealousy or guilt among them. Only sadness and comfort.

~

A month passed after Pritchard's funeral. Crowley and Halt were still working together and riding around Araluen, they needed to for many reasons. The mess of the corps Morgarath had left and the absence of Pritchard made this month stressful. In addition to the Morgarath problem, there was the problem of Crowley and Pauline. Crowley and Pauline still wrote to each other, but the letters came less and less. Meanwhile, Halt and Pauline were exchanging letters nearly every day. More than he had ever to another person, Halt was baring his soul to Pauline and she was doing the same. He was even considering telling Pauline the truth about his family. Halt hadn’t even told Crowley the truth- that he was the rightful king to Clonmel. Halt knew that the revelation would change his life in Araluen; he would be a diplomatic weakness, Ferris would come after him, he would have to be at court again. Halt just wanted to keep on being a ranger.

One night, as Crowley and Halt were setting up camp in the woods, Halt decided to address this issue. Crowley was stacking wood onto the fire and Halt was sitting close by writing a letter to Pauline. This was a hard letter to write as he was asking if Pauline would like to get dinner with him the next time they met. Halt was feeling incredibly guilty about this request. It was strictly platonic, though he wished it could be romantic, but it still made him anxious about how Crowley would react. 

Crowley looked over at Halt. It was time. 

"Writing to Pauline again?" He asked cheerfully. Halt looked ashamed but nodded in assent. 

"You don't have to feel guilty about it. She's your friend too." 

Halt had to jump in. "But you're courting her. You shouldn't want me writing to her." Finally, Halt had kind of confessed how he felt towards Pauline. Crowley took this as a positive sign. 

"Halt, truth be told, Pauline and I have been drifting apart for a while now. If you want to court her, go right ahead. I think she always preferred you." That was the wrong move. Crowley saw that immediately. Halt was stricken with a horrified look on his face. He started to rip up the letter he was writing. 

“What are you doing?” exclaimed Crowley, jumping up to try and stop Halt. His plan wasn’t working. Why was Halt tearing up the letter? He had just told Halt that Pauline likes him. 

Halt stood up. “I’m not going to be the reason you and Pauline break up. That’s not fair to either of you. I’m not going to date Pauline.” His voice had gone up in volume and his Hibernian accent had gotten more pronounced. The letter pieces were thrown in the fire. 

Now Crowley felt unbelievably guilty. He had to fix this and fast. There was no other option; he had to tell Halt the truth. But maybe he could draw Halt’s fury away from Pauline and only to himself. 

“Halt, listen to me,” Crowley sighed and sat down. Halt looked at him curiously. “Please don’t hate me for what I’m about to tell you.” 

“I could nev-” Crowley held up a hand. 

“I really only dated Pauline so that you would become jealous and ask Pauline out.” Halt stared dumb founded for a second before fury grew on his face. Crowley hastily continued. 

“Pauline knew nothing about it, it was only my plan. It was a dumb, stupid plan that was wrong. I never should have manipulated the two of you like that.” Here Crowley collapsed, his head in his hands. The stress of the past few months and the deception had finally caught up with him. 

There was a storm in Halt’s dark eyes and he took a step towards Crowley. Crowley wouldn’t blame Halt if he swung at him. He deserved it. 

Instead, Halt knelt down next to Crowley and spoke. Halt was furious, mostly on behalf of Pauline, but he also understood where Crowley was coming from. Halt wouldn’t have asked Pauline out if Crowley hadn’t paved the way. And it was nice to have someone make an elaborate plot to help him instead of trying to murder him. 

“What you did was wrong and hurtful, especially towards Pauline. Never do anything like that again you well intentioned moron,” Crowley knew he had been forgiven. Halt was quick to anger and quick to forgive. “The next time you see Pauline, you have to apologize to her. Profusely.” 

“I promise, but you have to finish your letter to Pauline.” Crowley gave a weak smile and pushed some paper into Halt’s hand. Halt’s fist closed up over the paper and he nodded. Crowley had accomplished his mission, regardless of the cost. 

~

One week later, Crowley and Halt finished up their business and went to Castle Redmont so they could install Halt as the official ranger. As they got closer and closer to the castle, Crowley could see that Halt was getting more and more nervous. He was fidgeting atop of Abelard and he was running his hands through his neatly combed hair. Crowley had noticed with a smirk that Halt had wetted his hair down and taken extra care to tidy himself up this morning. 

At the gate, Pauline was waiting for them. She smiled brightly at Halt as the ranger pair walked up, her silver blonde hair glinting in the sunlight. Crowley received a chaste, quick peck on the cheek and a murmured word of thanks before Pauline glided off, hand in hand with Halt. Crowley gives them a crooked smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes as he wishes it could’ve been him. At that moment, he decides that his friends could never know the truth or the depth of his feelings. He pushes down his feelings and turns around to start his Commandant duties. There was a lot of work to be done.

**Author's Note:**

> There will be a new chapter up every week.


End file.
